Advice on a first 5.1 system.. pointers?

[TetrisAddict]

Hello all, I'm new and I'm about to do the most tedious of things; ask a bunch of people I don't know about something I know nothing about. Free steak dinner to whoever helps! lol

Anyway, here's the thing. I have a ps3 and an LG led/lcd tv.
I love watching blu-rays but my current speaker system, is now woefully inadequate. It's an old Locitech 2.1 setup. This is fine for tv, but I'm noticing more and more that blu-ray films only have 5.1 sound. On my current system the sound is awful, crunchy at the low end, too loud during action scenes and too quiet during dialogue.

So I think I want to get a proper 5.1 surround system.

However, I have no idea where to start. I don't wanna spend a fortune, but I also don't wanna just get the cheapest. I'm hoping that people who read this, will be able to point me in the right direction and/or suggest some systems that would be suitable?

My tv has x2 hdmi (but no arc, which I'm told is important?), and it has the other usual connections - rca, vga, scart, optical etc.

I *was* going to get the Logitech z506. But I've since discovered that it only has a "surround sound effect" and not true 5.1??

As you can see, I am lost.
I would be eternally grateful to anyone who can help me out here.

 

[crossedover]

A budget and a reasonable expectation of what your looking for might help to get the ball rolling. Also switching one set of PC speakers for another generally isn't gonna yield quantifiable results.

 

[TetrisAddict]

A budget and a reasonable expectation of what your looking for might help to get the ball rolling. Also switching one set of PC speakers for another generally isn't gonna yield quantifiable results.

Hi, thanks for your response.
My budget is £200. As far as expectations go, I just want to be able to hear the movie's soundtrack as intended. ie. If it says 5.1 on the box, I wanna be able to hear 5.1 - not the dreadful inconsistent effect I'm getting now.
Also, I'm not interested in a new player, I'd like to retain my ps3 for playing movies.

 

[markw]

Where are you located? Most of us think in term of US products and dollars.

In any case, that's a fairly low budget. Keep your expectations realistic here.

 

[rojo]

Hello all, I'm new and I'm about to do the most tedious of things; ask a bunch of people I don't know about something I know nothing about. Free steak dinner to whoever helps! lol

Ribeye, Pittsburgh medium please. Garlic mashed potatoes, and grilled asparagus. A thick oatmeal porter to drink.

Anyway, here's the thing. I have a ps3 and an LG led/lcd tv.
I love watching blu-rays but my current speaker system, is now woefully inadequate. It's an old Locitech 2.1 setup. This is fine for tv, but I'm noticing more and more that blu-ray films only have 5.1 sound. On my current system the sound is awful, crunchy at the low end, too loud during action scenes and too quiet during dialogue.

Getting a dedicated receiver will greatly help, as you can turn the volume up on the center channel to give it more weight than the main L+R speakers. I have mine turned up about 6dB above its auto-detected level. A volume compression feature can help keep from waking the baby, making soft stuff louder and loud stuff softer. And if you get a receiver with dynamic EQ, you can make stuff sound great without having to turn it up loud. Even though it eats your budget entirely, I suggest considering the Denon AVR-X1000, as it contains all these features.

So I think I want to get a proper 5.1 surround system.

However, I have no idea where to start. I don't wanna spend a fortune, but I also don't wanna just get the cheapest. I'm hoping that people who read this, will be able to point me in the right direction and/or suggest some systems that would be suitable?

Given your budget, you ought to consider a 3.0 system first, then add a subwoofer when you can afford it and rear satellites even later. I hope you'll trust me on this. Given the choice between decent 3.0 and garbage 5.1, you'll be much happier in the long run with the decent 3.0, and you really aren't sacrificing as much as you might believe without the surrounds. The amount of audio that gets sent to the rear surrounds is 5% or less, I'd guess. This pair of Roth bookshelfs and this center channel look promising. A decent subwoofer isn't really in your budget for now. Follow this path, grow your system as you can, and you'll throw away less money on garbage in the long run.

My tv has x2 hdmi (but no arc, which I'm told is important?), and it has the other usual connections - rca, vga, scart, optical etc.

You can live without ARC. ARC can useful when your television itself is the source -- for example, if you have a smart TV that can stream Netflix or Pandora. But even then, ARC isn't indispensable. Just use an optical cable. Sorted.

I *was* going to get the Logitech z506. But I've since discovered that it only has a "surround sound effect" and not true 5.1??

Logitech makes computer speakers intended for near-field listening. They aren't well suited for a home theater.

Hi, thanks for your response.
My budget is £200. As far as expectations go, I just want to be able to hear the movie's soundtrack as intended. ie. If it says 5.1 on the box, I wanna be able to hear 5.1 - not the dreadful inconsistent effect I'm getting now.
Also, I'm not interested in a new player, I'd like to retain my ps3 for playing movies.

Your most profound gains will come from getting an actual home theater receiver, a separate center channel, and a grown-up subwoofer. £200 probably won't get you where you want to be. Get used / refurb gear if you can to save some money, and concentrate on 3.0 or 3.1 at first.

 

[TetrisAddict]

Ribeye, Pittsburgh medium please. Garlic mashed potatoes, and grilled asparagus. A thick oatmeal porter to drink.

On it!

Getting a dedicated receiver will greatly help, as you can turn the volume up on the center channel to give it more weight than the main L+R speakers. I have mine turned up about 6dB above its auto-detected level. A volume compression feature can help keep from waking the baby, making soft stuff louder and loud stuff softer. And if you get a receiver with dynamic EQ, you can make stuff sound great without having to turn it up loud. Even though it eats your budget entirely, I suggest considering the Denon AVR-X1000, as it contains all these features.

Dedicated receiver, volume compression, dynamic equalization.
Good. I'm learning already.

Given your budget, you ought to consider a 3.0 system first, then add a subwoofer when you can afford it and rear satellites even later. I hope you'll trust me on this. Given the choice between decent 3.0 and garbage 5.1, you'll be much happier in the long run with the decent 3.0, and you really aren't sacrificing as much as you might believe without the surrounds. The amount of audio that gets sent to the rear surrounds is 5% or less, I'd guess. This pair of Roth bookshelfs and this center channel look promising. A decent subwoofer isn't really in your budget for now. Follow this path, grow your system as you can, and you'll throw away less money on garbage in the long run.

Ok, softly softly catchy monkey. Like it.
Tbh if I had a bigger budget I *would* just buy the whole kaboodle in one go. I didn't realise there were so many different elements to a good set up.

Buying decent equipment piece by piece over time, does makes more sense. And yeah, a good 3.0 system is better than a wanky 5.1 - definitely on board with the point you're making.

You can live without ARC. ARC can useful when your television itself is the source -- for example, if you have a smart TV that can stream Netflix or Pandora. But even then, ARC isn't indispensable. Just use an optical cable. Sorted.

Gotcha.

Logitech makes computer speakers intended for near-field listening. They aren't well suited for a home theater.

*puts thick line through "Logitech"*

Your most profound gains will come from getting an actual home theater receiver, a separate center channel, and a grown-up subwoofer. £200 probably won't get you where you want to be. Get used / refurb gear if you can to save some money, and concentrate on 3.0 or 3.1 at first.

Thanks very much indeed. You've given me a lot to think about and I definitely have a much clearer idea of what's required now.
Appreciate it.


Zen.

 

[rojo]

Good. Good. You're on your way. Final piece of starting advice: matching the timbre of your front LCR (left-center-right) speakers is important. You'll arrive at a better blend if your center speaker is from the same manufacturer and series as the main front left and right speakers. On the other hand, because of the low occurrence surround content, and because surround sound is more often effects (explosions, phone ringing, dog barking, gun shots, etc) than vocals or music, timbre matching the surrounds isn't as important. And it's pretty much expected that your subwoofer will be a different brand from your LCR.

I'm not sure who in Europe makes exceptional subwoofers. But here in the U.S., one will usually get a much greater value by sticking to Internet-direct makers such as Hsu Research, SVS, Outlaw Audio, and the like. Unless you get a strong recommendation from someone local, set your sights on this SVS PB-1000. (Not sure whether these guys could point you to a better price or not, but it might be worth contacting them to ask.)

BK Electronics subwoofers look pretty interesting as well, and ought to be worth some Googling.

 

[agarwalro]

In that budget I would recommend starting with a 2.0 only setup. Here is my pick,

Wharfedale Diamond 9.1 Speakers: Amazon.co.uk: Electronics
Cambridge Topaz Am5 Blk: Amazon.co.uk: Electronics

The above links are only to demonstrate the products I am recommending. Find them locally and if possible bring home to demo before committing to buy.

When you are ready to add a sub, also pick up a home theater receiver.
Next add a center speaker and last the surround speakers.

 

[Reorx]

Good Advice from Rojo.
Two things I would ask...
How large is your room?
How loud do you like your music/movies?
This will help everybody recommend speakers to you.

Take a variety of your favorite music, and go listen to speakers at your local hifi shops.
Don't tell the sales people what your budget is.
This will help figure out what kind of speaker you like. Bright, warm, etc.

Agarwalro also has some good advise. I lived with a 2.0 system for a long time, and it sounded fine.
Subs are very important, but it depends on the size of your room. a $100 sub is going to sound bad in a 10x10x3 m^3 room. It would be better to save up and buy a bigger sub.

Once you know what kind of speaker you like. Be sure to check craigslist. You can usually find good speakers for cheap there.

Good luck.